Yellow Pages
Common Cause rips Lieberman over comments on Rowland
By Don Michak, Journal Inquirer 12/18/2003
HARTFORD -- The executive director of Common Cause in Connecticut, which on Monday called for the resignation of Gov. John G. Rowland, criticized U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman Wednesday over the Democratic presidential candidate's comments that Rowland was not alleged to have violated any laws.
Lieberman, who has enjoyed a friendly relationship with the Republican governor, who once contributed to his senatorial re-election campaign, said Tuesday that he didn't know very much about the controversy spurred by Rowland's admission that he lied about who paid for improvements to his private cottage on a Litchfield lake. Lieberman added that he was "sad" and "disappointed" about Rowland's admission, but declined to join other state Democratic leaders who have called upon the governor to step aside temporarily or resign. Andy Sauer, the director of the 6,000-member Common Cause chapter here, said Lieberman's remarks "amazed" him, because the watchdog group has alleged that Rowland broke "two state ethics laws,'' one prohibiting state officials from using their offices for financial gain and another prohibiting them from accepting gifts from state contractors. "Joe Lieberman was in the state Senate when the two rules were enacted, and I imagine he probably voted for them,'' Sauer said. "To say that there has been no wrongdoing really minimizes the importance of our ethics laws. Here is the governor's office continuing to say that nothing wrong has happened, when on the face of things, you have a gift to the governor from a prominent developer who was then awarded a state contract worth millions of dollars. "One of the rules, 1-84c, prohibits using your public office for financial gain, and adding a cathedral ceiling to a cottage raises the value of that property so when he eventually sells it he is going to personally profit,'' Sauer added, referring to one of the improvements at the governor's retreat. Referring to Lieberman, Sauer asked: "He was one of the most vocal critics of President Clinton during the Lewinsky scandal, and where is he now? His governor has broken the law, and I want to say, "Senator, wake up!"' A campaign spokesman for Lieberman on Wednesday referred questions to his Senate press secretary, Casey Aden-Wansbury, who said early today that she hadn't yet been able to discuss the matter with her boss. But she responded to Sauer's criticism by suggesting that Lieberman simply "meant to say that no legal charges had been filed" against Rowland. "He said he believes that this is a very serious situation and should be fully investigated,'' the spokeswoman said. "He said he has known Rowland for 15 years and has worked with him on many Connecticut issues ... He said that ultimately the ongoing investigation will reveal what actually happened, and he said that Gov. Rowland has come forward and apologized for his incomplete and inaccurate statements but that he now faces the challenge of getting back the trust of Connecticut residents.'' Lieberman's relatively tepid reaction to the Rowland ruckus spurred similar criticism from some state Democratic leaders, who were said to have suggested that Connecticut supporters of former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean might seek to capitalize on the issue.
©Journal Inquirer 2009
Added: Monday December 22, 2003 at 07:21 PM EST Sometimes before or after 1965,The Hartford Electric company
entered into an illegal contract with the UCONN trustees
that if the Uconn trustees used an all electric system
for the heating...the water heating etc,,,the all electric campus, that the bill, would not exceed $425,000 a year and
would be guaranteed for twenty five years. It so happens that
a Utility cannot guarantee a rate for any length of time..
The bill for this boondogle was so high that they disconnected the Laundry and brought in a gas line to
supply the Laundry..and the bill for the all electric
Campus? Without the Gas Laundry,,,some five years ago when
I last checked on it,,the bill for one year was $6,000,000
Why do I bring this up now? Because the Presidential
Candidate from Conn,,Joe Lieberman, was sitting across
the table from me when this was being discussed and Joe
Never did or said anything..This machination of numbers and
wheeling and dealing resembles the CRRA and ENRON..
Joe Lieberman is not the man of our times..Maybe he could
write another book like the Power Broker that he wrote
during that period, We need men of integrity.We have had
enough of this Palsy, buddy system...jlp
years..According to state laws,,,the Utility did not
have the power to gurantee rates for any period of time.
The bill was so high that they disconnected the Laundry
and connected on to a gas system just for the Laundry..
The last time That I checked the bill was over six million dollars a year...During this period the Hartford Electric company sold their Headquarters building on Pearl st in
downtown Hartford to the Chairman of the Democratic party
for a fraction of it's value..asked by the PUC why they sold
this building,,,they replied that they did not need it anymore. However the Electric Utility leased it from the
Dem Chairman for some twenty five years and re-newed the
lease after twenty five years...
sold their building on Pearl Stret to the Chairman of the
Democratic Party for fraction of it's value...the reason
given as to why they did not put this out for bid,,,
"They did not need the building anymore" However,they
signed a lease with the Chairman of the Democratic party
for [25] twenty five years...and after twenty five years
they re-newed the lease...again...During this period
the Hartford Electric Company sold their headquarters
building on Pearl St for a fraction of it's assessed value.
To the Chairman of the Democratic Party..Although it was
against the rules of the PUC,faced with my charges at that
time..the Utility company replied that they did not need
that building any more,,however,,they signed a lease with
the Democrat Chairman for twenty five years and re-newed the
lease when the twenty five years were up...
Why you may ask do I bring this subject up?? Well I sat at
a meeting with certain members of the Gen Assbly to complain
about this corruption,,Across the table from me was none
other than the Presidential Candidate,,State Representative
Joe Lieberman...who had just finished writing a sanitized
book on the life of the Democratic Chairman...
Joseph Paquette Added: Monday December 22, 2003 at 05:08 PM EST I would like the senator to know that the Governor has violate state law and lied about it,Senator it,s time for you to let your friend the governor knows he is lying. Harris Porter Added: Sunday December 21, 2003 at 03:17 PM EST I just sent a letter to Governor Rowland asking him to resign at dumprowland.com. The web site is http://www.dumprowland.com. If you are tired of his same old song and dance, go to the website and give him a piece of your mind.
Mike Panetta Added: Saturday December 20, 2003 at 01:33 AM EST Lieberman has made a career of moralizing when it was likely to be popular and remaining silent when it was not. Bush is damn near the *only* candidate who could make me vote for Lieberman; fortunately, Lieberman's ineptitude and transparent lack of actual moral or political integrity make this choice very unlikely. J HD Added: Friday December 19, 2003 at 06:09 PM EST For someone who worked so hard to communicate to the public how straight his moral compass was, it's absolutely sickening to see he's just another of many who'll look the other way because of it's convenience or because of a negative association. That, coupled with his increasingly shrill and desperate attacks on Dean have made me lose all credibility in the man. Hopefully he'll run out of money soon (so he can shut up); find his moral compass where he left it and go back to working for the people. He seems to have forgotten about that.
Bob in California Robert Pastrana Added: Friday December 19, 2003 at 05:37 AM EST Lieberman has lost his way. He is not only in conflict with his party, he is in conflict with his own morals and ethics. He has obviously lost his compass. He is in serious jeopardy, politically. Lieberman is showing he has been a closet Republican and would, if elected, reveal his disdain for democratic party doctrine of compassionate leadership. He is showing the public his obvious lack of ethihcal and moral turpitude. What has happened to Joe?
He couldn't get my vote for Senator right now...never mind for President. I have some Republican sentiments when it comes to social issues, but economically, the hatred of Republicans is despicable. Rowlands ethics violations should not be defended by anyone, but especially not by an elected official hoping to become President. Joe, you have been led astray or you have chosen to sacrifice your common sense in favor of backing a crony, a deviant leader. What are you thinking? G W Added: Thursday December 18, 2003 at 05:52 PM EST If Joe Lieberman wants to sit at the table across from me,
there are a bunch of questions that I would love to ask him,
especially without his hired guns to protect him...The Clinton
Fiasco is just what it is...a red herring...How About all the
questions about "Enron" and his involment with City-bank?
Is the Honorable Senator to busy to get involved with this
type of trash....or would he rather talk about "Iraq",,
a safe heaven for all politicians...How about Enron,,,where
we have been sold out to the political structure,,Does
the Honorable Senator,,understand what we have been committed to? or is he just comfortable to the quid pro quo that exists
? Let's stop this shell game that we have been the victims...
and let Lieberman tell us about how the Electric rates will
go down, because of the comptetition and all that other
Crap that they have been paid to brainwash us with...I think that the Senator should read the book about Samuel Insull,,
when Samuel tried to take over the Electric Utiltiy industry
and monopolize it until A man of the people came unto the
scene,,,FDR. JOEY??,, Where are YOU JOEY?,,Tell us about
Samuel Insull and how it connects with today's electric
take over....JLP
joseph paquette |
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